Thursday's Thoughts - Dedication, Do You Have It?

Can I be real with you all? Can I be honest and direct? If not, then you may not want to continue reading. 

But if you can handle a little boldness, and some things for you to think about and reflect on, then continue reading...

So every week, I too go through highs and lows; we all have them. We have our good days and our bad days. While I feel like I am in shape and the healthiest I've ever been, my fitness and nutrition is a daily conscience effort on my part to be consistent and maintain what I've worked on for the past three years. In addition to my own ups and downs, I also get to feel and experience the highs and lows of my clients. I swear it makes me feel bi-polar sometimes...and today is the PERFECT example of what I mean!

I conduct weekly weigh-ins with each client. It’s always on the same day of the week and typically the same time of the day for consistency purposes. The average female will lose 1-3 lbs. per week while working out with me; in addition most of them are also on The Challenge as well.

With each weigh-in, I hold my breath until the number comes up on the scale...at which point we will both be elated with the results or feel slightly deflated if the person didn't hit their goal or gain weight (yes, that happens).   If the scale shows a less than positive result, I have a decision to make as to whether to be the Jillian Michaels trainer and have a frank conversation with the client, or be the "you can do this - just a minor set-back" cheerleader type of trainer.

So back to today, the first person I weighed in lost another 2.5 lbs.; she consistently loses 1-2.5 lbs. a week and in her 10 weeks with me, she's lost just under 20 lbs.!  However the next person to weigh in, who has trained with me the same amount of time (approximately 10 weeks), has lost only 6 lbs.; she has yo-yoed on the scale each week.

The first person was so happy; this 46 year old mom of three jumped up and down, screaming with joy "I can't believe I lost again, I can't believe I lost again!"  Her joy and the smile on her face made me feel so proud and giddy myself, it literally brought a tear to my eye.  Her surprise at her own success and her happiness with the results is why I do what I do!

Then when the second person came in and she didn't lose any weight - again this week - my heart just broke for her; she seemed so defeated. (I've already written about failures and set-backs so I won't touch on that one here again).

What’s the difference?  It’s simple - pure dedication and hard work to achieve the goal. I'm not saying that client #2 isn't dedicated, because she is: she consistently shows up to our sessions, she works hard while she is there and I know she does put forth some effort when she's not with me. However, she could be doing more; I know it...but more importantly, I know she knows it. So why isn't she going all out and all in to get to her goal? Only she knows.

There are 168 hours in a week.

My clients are with me 2 hours of that week.

Dedication and commitment have to be self-imposed the other 166 hours!

Look, if you have a goal you have to have laser focus!  You can't deter from the plan, you cannot cheat, you cannot veer off course...IF you are committed and dedicated to your goal. If you are ok with the occasional set-backs and having to overcome the obstacles that are self-imposed, then that's fine, just know that they are self-imposed.

If you have a goal (ie: lose 20 lbs. by the end of the year), then you need a plan, a deadline and laser focus. You need to have the attitude that nothing will stop you and while we have all learned that failures are inevitable, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to avoid failures at all costs! 

Bottom line, and here's the question you need to ask yourself - are you committed to your goal? Are you willing to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears? Are you willing to do what it takes to hit a weight loss or activity goal? You may just have to count calories and watch your macros; you may have to hit the gym every day for a 1000 calorie burn. You might have to give up Sunday-Funday nachos and beer (my own personal favorites). Do you have to give them up forever?, of course not.

What's your goal and what’s your deadline? I'm dedicated to help you - are you dedicated yourself?

Wednesday's Wisdom - Fail Often, Get Back Up!

This past weekend I had an amazing trip to Houston, TX for Vitality – The Challenge’s annual party and recognition event with thousands of my fellow Challengers. We got to learn from the leaders, network and of course PARTY. This year’s party was themed as a country hoedown, so of course I was able to wear my boots and cowgirl hat!  This is me and my fellow Vi-Champion Sammye Carroll.

The best part of the entire event was being able to hear John C. Maxwell as our keynote speaker. I have read many of his books and learned quite a bit from him regarding leadership and entrepreneurship. Now you may ask: “Devon, what does this have to do with training and fitness?”  Well, his talk this past weekend was about the six Challenge Vi-Values, emphasizing on failure. Yes, failure – fail often and get back up. Here’s why:

John C. Maxwell wrote a book about 14 years ago called Failing Forward. In that book, he outlines many of his own personal failures, what he’s learned from them, and how he overcame them. Failing is inevitable. Yes, I know I’ve touched on this before, but it’s worth going over again.

In the book, Maxwell outlines 7 things that failure is NOT:

“1. Failure is not avoidable – humans are bound to fail sooner or later.

2. Failure is not an event, but a process. Success is not a destination – it is the journey you take and what you do day to day – success is a process, and so is failure.

3. Failure is not objective. You are the only person who can label your actions a failure.

4. Failure is not the enemy – it takes adversity to achieve success. It is fertilizer.

5. Failure is not irreversible.

6. Failure is not a stigma – they are not permanent markers. Make each failure a step to success.

7. Failure is not final – failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success and if we learn to embrace that new definition of failure, then we can move ahead. It’s the price you pay for success.”

 (source: Maxwell, John C. 2000 . Failing Forward)

Why is this important for you? EVERYONE FAILS. You are going to have tough times. You are going to have set-backs. You will cheat on your nutrition plan. You will skip a few days, or a week at the gym. You want to talk about failures? Here are just a few of my doozeys:

·         In high-school, I quit the basketball team as a senior because after the 3^rd year of playing Junior Varsity (at 5’5” and 185 lbs), I figured I wasn’t good enough to make the varsity team. So I quit and became the team’s manager instead.

·         I practically failed out of college my freshman year. I had to quit my major (pre-physical therapy) because I had a 50-something average in introductory chemistry (which I was taking for a second time because I got a D the first semester). I dropped the class so I didn’t get an F and switched to a business major. I was never able to recover from my freshman year’s GPA.

·         I failed at EVERY DIET I ever tried. I would start, then stop. I had trainers all through my 20s, but would quit them because I wasn’t seeing results. I wasn’t seeing results because I would cheat on the diet (often) and so I would just quit – FAILED!

·         I started my first business in 2006 with my mom. We bought a franchise together and thought we would have multiple stores throughout the state of CT. We were out of business (and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt) in less than 18 months.

There are more, but those are some of the big ones. And you know what? I wouldn’t change any one of them! Failures are what help us learn; they help us grow. After each failure, I had a success come out of it:

-          I learned more from my basketball coach as a manager than as a player, and ultimately knew I would want to be a coach someday.

-          I ended up graduating with 2 undergraduate degrees in four years (BBA in business management and BS in communications) and MBA three years later in marketing.

-          I finally took on The Challenge, lost 20 lbs, 10% body fat, went on to become a Challenge Champion, earn a BMW and start a new business with Visalus. I have kept the weight off and at the age of 36 am in the best shape of my life.

-          I took the entrepreneurial road AGAIN, quit corporate America, fired my boss (aka dad) and started My Transformation Training.

All of my failures have eventually lead to successes later on and that’s what it’s all about! I don’t really like to use the word failure because it has such a negative connotation, but in reality, you should fail often. Maxwell goes on to say you have two options when you fail:

1)      Quit

2)      Get back up again.

Only 5% of us actually do step 2. If you have a setback in your weight loss or fitness goals – what are you going to choose? I chose to get back up again…and again…and again. 

Wednesday Workout Advice: Is 20 Minutes Enough?

Well, it happened again…

The day has gotten away from you and you didn’t get your workout in first thing in the AM. So now you have 20 minutes to get in a quick workout and you ask yourself – why even bother; is that enough?

Well yes and even a 20 minute workout is better than nothing at all!

Here are some tips to maximize your 20 minutes:

·       Choose full body exercises: don’t isolate just one body part. Choose an exercise that incorporates lower and upper body, as well as core. You can also perform targeted body parts if you workout in a circuit format (see next step).

·       Perform multiple exercises in a circuit fashion: Choose three exercises to perform and then repeat those three in a circuit for three rounds. Once those three are complete, move on to three new exercises.

Example: 

Circuit  1                                                       Circuit 2

15 Air Squats                                              15 Burpees

15 Thrusters                                                15 Reverse Flys

15 Push-ups                                                15 Dips

Repeat 3 times                                            Repeat 3 times

·       Give 110% max effort: you have limited time, so make the most of it! Go all out – its only 20 minutes. You should be able to work up a great sweat (or “glisten” for the ladies) in this amount of time. Keep your rests short (30 seconds to 1 min max).

This is a great HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout session – and if you go all out, you can burn a few hundred calories in a short period of time. So is it worth it? Heck yeah! 

Not all is lost when you only have 20 minutes so don’t skip your workout. You will feel more energized and accomplished if you make sure to get in the workout even if you’re tired or drained. 

I've included a bonus 20 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds as Possible) workout for you below, so no excuses; get it done!

Fitness Facts Friday - Why Can't I Lose Like Him?!

Every week I hear my ladies complain that their husband/boyfriend/father/man in their life can lose weight with the snap of a finger but they struggle on a daily basis. 

With each couple I council, either with The Challenge or while training them at the fitness studio, I make sure to tell the women: “look, he will drop 10 lbs in the blink of an eye and after taking a #2, it’s normal; don’t judge your own results by what HE is doing”. 

I always give the warning but not everyone listens and then there is competitiveness, resentment, and hopelessness, which eventually leads to giving up on the women’s part while the men crush through to their goal. Many men are just like that: they set a goal and they hit it once they make up their minds to do it. Women…well, we struggle; a pound here, a pound there. He loses 8, she loses 0.8.

Both determined, both working out, eating right. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. What’s the difference? 

Well, here are some women’s fitness facts I researched which may help:

1. Men have more testosterone then women (duh, right?). Therefore, they burn fat and build muscle differently than women. So if you WANT to look “big and bulky with big muscles” then you would need to take testosterone producing hormones. By the way, no woman has actually said that to me yet…actually they say the opposite “I just want to tone”, so unless you take supplements you will not burn it as quickly as the men, but the benefit is you also won’t get “big and bulky” by lifting weights!  You will gain muscle, but not “big bulky” ones.  **FYI - Women have the testosterone level of a 10 year old boy**.

2. Women’s fat cells are larger than men’s.  Sucks, doesn’t it?

3. Skipping meals actually leads your body to go into starvation mode….which causes you to KEEP FAT for future use rather than burning it. SO DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST – I’m talking to all you moms out there. Why?  See previous blog from last week about excuses…

4. Women have specific type of muscle fibers which are not able to get as big as men, but are more compacted and strong.

5. Women have a stronger pain threshold (think delivering a baby!) which leads to quicker recovery, as well as more endurance (Yay for women!)

6. Men will burn 20% more calories in a day, so if you want to lose more than your man, gotta step up that calorie burn!

7. Exercising in general, both for men and women, helps your mood, energy levels and confidence.

Cynthia Sass gave a great analogy in an article in ShapeMagazine: Eating with a guy is like going shopping with a friend who makes a lot more money than you – maybe you can’t spend as much, but you can still enjoy the experience, and if you make peace with the fact that you don’t have the same budget, it can be very freeing rather than causing you angst.”

So stop comparing yourself to the men in your life, start comparing yourself to YOU: Where are you today versus yesterday? Where do you want to be tomorrow? Are you at your goal yet? 

Don’t fret – you’ll get there; maybe slower than him, maybe faster. Bottom line – it’s YOUR GOAL, encourage each other to keep on going, no matter what!